love does

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Hi friends!

This isn't an official book review or anything but, man, I just have to share Love Does with you.

Have you heard about it? It's basically this romantic, whimsical tale of a man and his love for Christ, and he writes every chapter in anecdotal narratives that make you want to sail off on an adventure...because that's what love does...it moves, it gives, it looks for ways to make things new.

Here's a short excerpt from the first chapter, which was featured on Donald Miller's blog (he's the author of another fantastic book, Blue like Jazz) Before you start reading, know that the author of Love Does, Bob Goff, is a lawyer who likes to use Disney's Tom Sawyer Island as his office whenever it strikes his fancy:

"There are no admission requirements at Tom Sawyer Island. It doesn’t matter how tall or short you are, old or young, religious or not. There are no lines on Tom Sawyer Island; it can be whatever you want it to be. You can do countless things there. Most of them involve running and jumping and using your creativity and imagination. It’s a place where you can go and just do stuff. In that way, it’s a place that mirrors life well—at least the opportunity to do much with our lives.

I like this place because a guy named Disney had a hair-brained scheme to make a magical world where people could go and feel free. And it worked. And if he could do that, I could be a lawyer maybe or write a book or work with the justice system in Uganda. I come here to remind myself we get to make the world we want, in large part.

Somewhere in each of us, I believe there’s a desire for a place like Tom Sawyer Island, a place where the stuff of imagination, whimsy, and wonder are easier to live out—not just think about or put off until “next time.” This is a weighty thing to think about on my island, but I often consider what I’m tempted to call the greatest lie of all time. And that lie can be bound up in two words: someone else.

On Tom Sawyer Island, I reflect on God, who didn’t choose someone else to express His creative presence to the world, who didn’t tap the rock star or the popular kid to get things done. He chose you and me. We are the means, the method, the object, and the delivery vehicles. God can use anyone, for sure. If you can shred on a Fender or won “Best Personality,” you’re not disqualified—it just doesn’t make you more qualified. You see, God usually chooses ordinary people like us to get things done.

As I sit on my island, it becomes clear we need to stop plotting the course and instead just land the plane on our plans to make a difference by getting to the “do” part of faith. That’s because love is never stationary. In the end, love doesn’t just keep thinking about it or keep planning for it. Simply put: love does."

And just because I can't say enough about how amazing this book is, along with the man who wrote it and the God we both serve, here are a couple more excerpts that really struck my heart:

"Maybe God is doing some inexplicable things in your life. Each of us gets to decide every time whether to lean in or step back- to say yes, ignore it, or tell God He has the wrong person...We are all meant to save many lives. God is always trying to save lives and it seems like He usually uses the least likely people to do it. So the next time God asks you to do something that is inexplicable, something you're sure is a prank because it requires a decision or courage that's way over your pay grade, something that might even save lives, say 'yes'."

"Every day, God invites us on the same kind of adventure. It's not a trip where He sends us a rigid itinerary. He simply invites us. God asks what it is He's made us to love, what captures our attention, what feeds that deep, indescribable need of our souls...and, then, leaning over us He whispers, 'Let's go do THAT together'."

Wendi Nunnery is the author of The Best Kept Secret young adult series. She writes about the messiness of life and sometimes uses colorful language. She's also a big fan of Jesus, coffee, and Harry Potter. Wendi lives, loves, and mothers in Atlanta, Georgia.

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About Me

Wendi Nunnery is the author of The Best Kept Secret young adult series. She writes about the messiness of life and sometimes uses colorful language. She's also a big fan of Jesus, coffee, and Harry Potter. Wendi lives, loves, and mothers in Atlanta, Georgia.